A Beautiful Lie
by Miguels-Lover
Summary: Everything seems to be going bad for Jou... Can Seto help at all, without revealing his secret? But what happens when they both discover each other's deep dark secrets? Can they help keep it a lie..? A beautiful lie..? JouxSeto-Rated for Yaoi and swearing
1. Could it ever happen?

Disclaimer- I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, or any of the characters in it, okay?

Plot- Okay well, this story is basically a complete Seto x Jou romance story.

Everything seems to be going badly for Jou, his exams are coming up which he knows he's going to fail badly, he's getting beaten at home by his drunken father, he works until midnight on school nights, and the one person that he loves more than anything else in the world, hates him… Or so he thinks…

Seto wants to find out more about Jou, without revealing his secret to the other boy, but as their interests in each other grow, they soon discover the many lies and heartaches that each boy is forced to face within their daily lives.

Warning- This is a story based about the idea of Yaoi, basically boy's getting together with boy's, so please do not read this if you are someone whom dislikes that type of fanfiction, thank you. There is also slight swearing at times.

A Beautiful Lie

Joey casually glanced across the room, out the window, smiling softly, as if the beautiful scenery was bringing life and hope to him. But of course, this was all an act, yes, it was a skilfully done pretence, which Jou had mastered over the many weeks and months, he now thought himself of being a champion at the art.

In reality, the golden blonde haired boy was gazing right over at the one true person he loved in life, the one person he swore he would do anything for, the one and only, Seto Kaiba.

His gorgeous, shining brown hair, which always seemed to be so perfect, he never had a single hair out of place, his ice-cold blue eyes, which Jounouchi was determined to melt every time he gazed into the seemingly-emotionless orbs, his slender body and his lovely husky voice, which made Jou want to hold him close, so close he could feel his heartbeat in time with his own, so close he could feel his gentle breathing against his skin, every time he heard the CEO talk.

Jou dreamt of the day that he would be able to get close to the handsome boy, just to be able to touch him or even smell his gorgeous musky smell, but the way it was going currently, that wouldn't happen any day soon.

Joey sighed heavily, turning his gaze back to the Teacher standing at the front of the class, writing up information about giant Covalent networks. Which of course, was pretty much basic Chemistry, but the Teacher had decided to run over every single bit of Chemistry they had learned over the past four years before the big exams started in three weeks time.

Jou doubted very much that he had a chance of passing any of his exams. He thought there might be a possible chance of passing his P.E exam, but he knew he had no chance when it came to the academic subjects. Joey knew he wasn't bright, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. He was much more of a creative and imaginative person; he'd rather stay home and design a new Duel Monsters card than learn about Covalent Bonding or whatever.

He glanced down at the piece of paper he had been writing on for the past half hour, it didn't have any of the information he was required to write but actually had a little cartoon strip scribbled on it.

The cartoon strip was based around the idea of a teenage boy filling out the answer paper on his exam, but he can't decide whether to cheat or not as his two shoulder 'advisers' appear- an Angel and a Devil.

Suddenly, the School bell rang loudly signalling the end of this Class, and the start of another, Joey grinned widely, he was desperate to jump up and down cheering excitedly, but knew he wouldn't really get away with it so instead, he casually packed his stuff away into his backpack.

It wasn't the fact that it was the end of Chemistry, which made him so joyful, it was the fact that he had History next which meant he had a full forty minutes worth of sitting next to Seto!

When Jou had packed all his stuff away, he zipped up his bag and swung it over his shoulder, gradually exiting the classroom and making his way towards the main stairway which would take him up to the History Classrooms on the second floor.

He was so excited, he loved Wednesday afternoons, he had his usual History period beside Seto and then it was home time, his work starting from then and lasting nearly to midnight.

He casually pushed aside a few annoying first years in his way before entering his usual History classroom and taking his seat at the very back corner of the room, unpacking his books as he waited for Seto to arrive.

A few minutes later, the wealthy brunet arrived, his briefcase containing his beloved Laptop, which he took wherever he went, tightly clutched in his hand as he took his seat next to Jou.

Normally, when your friend sits next to you, you generally greet them, but Jou had learnt from past experiences, _never_ to greet Seto Kaiba, but to stay silent and wait until he chose to speak.

Jou bit his bottom lip anxiously, he was desperate to hear the tough-Dragon master's voice speak his name, well not his _real_ name, his stupid nickname… Then again, he was lying most of the time when he told the other boy he hated being called a dog. He didn't like the 'mutt' nickname much, as it implied he were some kind of scruffy tramp, but thankfully, Kaiba had stopped calling him that and was now calling him as 'pup', which Jou secretly quite liked.

After a couple of moments of complete silence between the pair, Jou gradually opened his mouth to speak, when the Teacher entered the classroom, greeting her History students politely.

"Well, as you all well-know, your exams are in three weeks time, which seems to be quite a shock to the system for a lot of you really, so I'll give you this period to revise over your year's work, then I expect you to be trying at home, okay?" she paused, eyeing certain students expectantly, her eyes trailing over Joey as she went causing him to blush in embarrassment and lower his head sheepishly, "Okay, start," she ordered, taking her seat and typing away on her PC.

Jou groaned, there was no way in hell he was going to pass these exams, and most of his Teachers knew it too, which just gave him more pressure than he already had!

He picked up his History jotter, flipping through the pages, trying to decide on a topic to start from, before pausing and just opening the Jotter at the very front, _Might as well start from the start and be completely prepared for anything that's thrown at me._

Jou placed the jotter infront of him, folded his arms over, as he put his head on top, leaning on the desk before he started to read over all the information within his jotter.

Seto had his Laptop on his desk, as he quietly tapped away on the keyboard; he was more than prepared for his exams, and he had no reason to revise at all. So he just used this period to do a little of his paper work so he had more time with Mokuba at night.

_Propaganda was spreading rapidly, it seemed impossible to be seen anywhere in the country that did not have some form of Nazi symbol placed on a building, or hanging from a sheet or banner. But the problem was-_ Jou's eyes started to droop down, he was so tired… He knew he needed to stay awake and revise over the work, he **needed** to revise, _badly_, but he was just far too tired… All he wanted to do was let his eyes gradually close as his mind slipped off into a daydream world, which seemed to be currently taking place.

He jerked himself awake, forcing his eyes and mind to stay focused, he couldn't allow himself to fall asleep, not now, he needed to concentrate on his schoolwork the now. Then after, he had to be awake and alert for his waiter duties straight after school ended.

But the lack of sleep was taking a toll on the slightly weak golden haired boy, as his eyelids slowly fell down, his breathing growing more gentle and calm by the second, he could feel himself slowly fall under, everything around him seemed to fade away, all the noises and sounds of the other pupils' chattering disappeared, and peace and calmness swept over him in one great wave…

Seto glanced to the side, the puppy had fallen asleep again, although it seemed he really didn't want too this time, as he had noticed he was earlier trying to force himself to concentrate on his revision rather than doze off.

Seto smiled gently to himself, Jou looked so serene when he slept… He always had a soft and heart-warming smile placed on his delicate face, as his gorgeous golden-blonde hair swayed slightly in the light breeze that entered the classroom through the open windows beside the pair.

Jou almost looked, _angelic_ as he sat there, peacefully asleep.

Seto sighed, he knew the pup had been planning on staying awake and revising all period, and it seemed he had failed on his mission, so the brunet decided to help him along a little bit, as he gently poked the other boy in the side with the end of his pencil.

Jou jolted awake, his eyes widening in a shot as he rapidly lifted his head up, glancing to the side in slight shock, "K-Kaiba…?" he questioned, his manner was quite alert, although you could still hear the tiredness lining his perplexed tone of voice.

"You might want to continue with your revision pup, you're going to need it," Seto explained, never taking his eyes off the Laptop screen for even a second to look at the slightly dazed Jounouchi.

Jou was about to reply with a angry insult, before realising that Seto had actually woke him up, as if he were helping him even?

_Would Seto ever do that for me…?_ Jou wondered in disbelief, his heart was beating fast, as possibilities of the idea that Seto was actually being nice to him spun around in his mind, before he sighed heavily, _Nah, Seto'd never do that, he ain't like that at all…_

He glanced at the cold-eyed CEO from the corner of his eye, before sighing in defeat and continuing on with his History Revision.

* * *

Okay, so what do you think? It's my first proper Seto x Jou fic, (in which I've not somehow put myself as a character into the story, lol,) I tried my best in the writing of this first Chapter, so I hope that it's good enough.

Please read, and review, I would like to hear people's opinions on the story, but please do not flame- Normally I don't mind, but like I said, I put a lot of work into this story, and it would hurt to hear how bad it is.

Oh! By the way, I'm still not sure how the School systems in Japan or the U.S work, so I just referred to my own, (Scotland,) so basically a first year, is a kid about 12 year's old, just so you know.


	2. You'll never know

Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?

Warnings- Slight horror in this Chapter, well not sure it's Horror, but well, you know not such a wonderful happy-bunny world if you know what I mean? Also, slight swearing.

* * *

Jou bit his lip anxiously, gazing straight forward at the dark red fake-wooden pine door before him. He may have seemed quite odd, just standing there, nervously considering over the fact whether to actually enter the house or not, but then again, he generally went through this everyday after he returned from School. 

He lifted his right wrist up as he glanced down at his watch; _I'm going to be late… If I just quickly sneak in, grab my uniform and get back out- He'll never notice, and I'll be home free for the night… Heh, never really thought over the meaning of that phrase before, 'home free…'_

Joey sighed, before reaching his hand forward slowly, gradually nearing the handle of the tacky-looking door, when suddenly it burst wide open revealing the one thing that caused all Jou's pain, fear, anger and hurt to weld up together as one intense emotion.

"D-dad…" Jou stuttered, his eyes wide in complete fear and shock, he could feel his body starting to shake; he knew what was about to happen- the same thing that happened every time his Dad found him.

"You little-" the golden brown haired man gritted his teeth together before finishing his sentence, "You've got the nerve…" he muttered under his breath before grabbing his son by the arm and roughly pulling him inside the house, loudly slamming the door shut after him.

Once the door was shut, and everything that happened, remained inside the house, never to leave; he threw his son against the wall, swiftly punching him in the stomach with such force it caused Joey to yelp out in pain, as he weakly slid down the wall, clutching his most-definitely bruised stomach.

"How dare ya suddenly appear out of no where! Missing for days, and you don't even bother to tell me where you are, or what's happened to ya!" the man yelled out angrily, his hands, which were clenched into tight fists shaking in fury.

"D-dad," Jou choked out slightly, his stomach increasing in pain as he attempted to speak to his Father, and possibly calm him down, "I wasn't missing, I-I didn't leave…" he paused, getting his breath back, "I was at School during da days, and at nights I work until mid-night, 'member?"

The man frowned, throwing his head to the side as he spat on the ground, which made Jou want to scrunch his face up in disgust but he knew if he were too, it would just mean more bruises and scars.

"Then why aren't you at work the now?" Jou's father questioned furiously, kicking his son in the side, causing the blonde to be thrown to the side, lying on the ground still tightly clutching his stomach.

"I… Came…" Jou paused, gritting his teeth together as he suppressed a hurt-filled scream, "Ta, get… M-My uniform…" he finished, timidly glancing up at his obviously-drunken father.

The man sighed heavily, shaking his head in disapproval, "You're useless… Pathetic… A complete weakling…" he spat on Jou before opening the front door wide and exiting it, not taking a second look at his injured son.

Jou waited until he was sure his father was far enough away before letting himself scream in pain, he forced himself up with his frail arms, pulling himself into a standing position with the help of the wall, which when he took a second glance at, had spots of blood splattered on it, he sighed heavily, "I'll have ta clean dat up too… I guess…"

He made his way to the bathroom, stumbling as he went, before grabbing onto the sink to help keep his balance, he took another glance at his watch, he was definitely going to be late now, no matter about it.

He pulled his school t-shirt up, which was now stained with blood droplets, wincing as he gazed down at the huge purple/blue bruise on his stomach, he then twisted slightly to get a better look at his side, the mark there was red, **bright** red.

He groaned, as he reached up into the cabinet to see if there were any medical supplies going about- as it were, there was nothing to be seen.

Jou had no choice, he would just have to leave the bruises and marks, and hope they would eventually fade away like usual, but for the moment in time, he would have to find a clean top and make his way to work, his boss was going to be furious!

Jou stumbled through to his room, shaking himself slightly in an attempt to gain better control over his balance, before grabbing his uniform; normally he put it on at the restaurant but this time he decided to put it on now, as it would be perfect for covering up the marks, rather than having to put on a new clean top and get it ruined the following day or something.

When he was changed, he exited the house, well it wasn't really a house at all, it was a crappy apartment near the top of a pathetic block of flats, basically, with just one glance at this place, you could tell all the poor people and riff-raff lived here.

He made his way down the stairs, (considering there were no elevators in the building, as it was too cheap for even that,) and gradually made his way to work, all the while contemplating over good excuses to use when his Boss questioned about his late arrival.

When he finally reached work, which was on the other side of town to his home, he shyly walked in, glancing around nervously, praying to the Gods that his boss would not notice him entering late, but, he wasn't going to be that lucky today.

"Jounouchi! Why on earth are you late today?" a quite well built man, with spiky brown hair accused, stomping over to his terrified-employee.

"I… Um… Y-… Well…" Joey stuttered, suddenly forgetting the excuses he had been planning on during his long journey to his work, "I'm sorry boss… I'm useless, I know…"

The brunet man sighed lightly, placing his hands on his hips, "Whatever will I do with you Joey?" he wondered out loud, with a smile of amusement plastered on his face, "Don't worry about it, I'll let you off this time, but don't be late again! Or next time you won't be so lucky!"

Jou's eyes sparkled with hope as he grinned widely, "Tanks boss! You're da best! Err, I mean, tank you very much sir," Jou formally bowed, proceeding to his duties as he grabbed a tray containing food, which was ready to be served.

His boss shook his head, still smiling in complete amusement, Joey may have been late a lot of the time, but whenever he was actually working, he was probably the most dedicated and hard-working waiter out of them all, Jou always tried his complete best when it came to his work.

Jou returned with the empty tray, placing it back on the main Kitchen counter, as he told the Chef the orders from Table 9, he spun around getting ready to check the other tables to see if everything was alright with the customers when suddenly, he winced, grabbing his aching stomach and side.

His boss frowned in concern before running over to the blonde boy, "Joey, what's wrong?" he questioned in worry.

Jou let go of his stomach weakly, shaking his head slowly, "N-Nutin', don't worry it boss, I just ate too much for Lunch, no worries, kay?" Jou lied, before quickly making his way over to the remaining tables.

His boss frowned, _I'm not so sure…_

* * *

Thanks to all who have reviewed! Thank you – SerenityMeoweth, crsg, Kiwi Rose, Yunie-star-Tidus-cutie and markyc58! 

Please once again read and review and give me your opinion on this Chapter, I'm actually a little lost in my story, so if you have any ideas or suggestions you'd like to pop then go ahead, I'm struggling a little with Writer's Block currently.

Oh yes! Finally- Please if you have time at all, check out my newly made Website! It has a Section on Marik Ishtar, a section on Seto and Jou, and a section on Yu-Gi-Oh in general, although the galleries and the humour page are still under construction. (You'll find the link of my page.)


	3. Seto's discovery!

Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?

Thanks for all the reviews, what made me especially happy was when I realised my favourite author actually reviewed this story!

lilrubydevil is like the best author out there, and her writing inspires me to write my best also! Please check out her work, it's the best out there!

Also, I read all of ChibiSmiles stories, and they're real great too! Check them out also!

Oh yeah, and for KiwiRose- I write with all the 'da's' and 'tanks' and stuff, because I like to write with accents, ya know? Um, I dunno if you've seen the American version of the T.V show, (maybe you prefer the original Japanese,) but in that he's got a New York accent, and I have to say, that's my favourite accent in the world, so I just love writing how he speaks, like, you know what I mean?

By the way, apologises for my late Chapter updating, I've been on a field trip down to England all week so I was unable to update any of my stories, sorry!

* * *

Kaiba swore angrily, as his attempts once again failed him, he was exhausted, but wasn't actually really that tired, then again, he **was** generally used to staying up to around 4 in the morning, sometimes he avoided sleep altogether, this guy could set a new record for highest amount of lack of sleep if he truly wanted too, but thing is, he wouldn't have the time! 

He was currently in the middle of creating a new virtual reality software, it was an idea he had formed a while back after he first heard of Duke Devlin, he thought it might be quite intriguing to create a portable stadium which you could use to play Duel Monsters or Dungeon Dice Monsters on.

He knew it would definitely sell for high in the markets, everyone would want one, and he was pretty sure Pegasus would be slightly crushed at the CEO's most recent invention, which made it pretty good all around, well for him anyway.

He massaged the bridge of his nose, frowning at the burning pain he was gaining, he had gotten used to his migraines, he tended to get at least one every day, but that's what you got for staring at a computer screen non-stop.

Mokuba had been complaining about Seto's lack of sleep a lot more than usual, only about an hour ago he had burst into the room, ordering him off to his bed, he had been winning their little argument with his childish pouts, and his puppy-dog eyes trick, but Kaiba managed to lead him away by agreeing to proceed to his bed within the next hour.

But after all that headache-creating work, he was far from being tired now, yet he wasn't really in the mood for working either, which of course was very rare for the infamous CEO.

He decided to go out, it was past one in the early morning, and he was sure it would be pretty much empty outside- perfect for a nice relaxing walk.

He pulled his blue trench coat on, locking his bedroom door behind him, as he walked along the long passageways in his enormous mansion, before eventually reaching the front door and exiting the building.

It was pitch dark outside, the only light being the occasional street light which lit up a patch of the pavement underneath it's glow, it was also quite chilly, definitely not the kind of night to be taking a peaceful walk on; unless you happened to be wearing a handy, very warm, Seto Kaiba one-of-a-kind Trench coat.

He proceeded onwards, the cold not effecting him in anyway as he casually strolled along the pavements, taking a turn towards the Domino Park, a place well known for it's out-standing beauty.

He glanced around the area, the darkness covered most of the area, and the lack of streetlights wasn't helping much either, but he paused as he gazed across at the Park Lake, the moon's silvery reflection gracing the waters beautifully.

He could also make out the basic outlines of small bushes, the occasional flower, a post which he guessed had a sign nailed to it, most likely stating 'No Ball Games', he snorted, yeah right, did they seriously think people would stop and actually read that sign when it was a lovely sunny day? Dream on!

"Aw man…" he heard a voice suddenly speak out, he frowned, whirling his head from side to side in search of the hidden voice.

Suddenly, he managed to spot a figure sitting on the bench nearest the Lake, but as the light from the water shone upwards, Seto was then capable of seeing the occupier of the bench in better detail.

His eyes widened as he recognized the face, _Jounouchi…_

A shot of guilt pierced into him as he gazed at the blonde's face, he looked so sad and hurt, his eyes had lost their usual happy glow and were replaced with light tears, he was clutching his stomach tightly, gritting his teeth together, which Kaiba guessed was for repressing the pain or hurt that he seemed to be currently experiencing, but just what was this pain/hurt? And who caused it?

The blonde lifted his shirt up; nervously gazing down at the huge bruises covering his lower torso, he lightly touched one with the tip of his finger before wincing and biting his lip, stopping himself from crying out in pain.

Seto silently gasped, his eyes as wide as golf balls, the bruises weren't completely easy to see, but he **could** notice the dark patches on the other's boy's body, _How the hell did that happen? Has that mutt been messing about in gang's again and getting himself hurt for no decent reason? Why does he always have to act so tough and macho? Stupid mutt…_

He was pulled out of his thoughts, as the injured boy pulled his shirt back down and unsteadily stood up, stumbling slightly as he walked away from the bench, luckily he was going the opposite way from where Kaiba had been hiding, he was going to the rough side of town, the brunet noticed.

When the blonde was completely out of sight, Seto sighed heavily, he glanced down at his watch, noting that it was now around 2am, and he was now gradually growing a little tired.

He frowned, still gazing on in the direction of which Jou left in, before sighing as he spun around, his trench coat flapping behind him with his sudden movements, it was time to go home.

_That mutt better take care of himself…_Seto growled almost dangerously, he decided he would question the blonde about what he had seen tonight the following day, but for the moment, he needed to get home and get to sleep.

* * *

Need more work? Progressing a little slowly? Doing better? Please tell me in a review! Although no flames, thank you! 


	4. Lost in Emotions, Lost in Pain

Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?

Okay first off, thanks to all who reviewed once again!

Especially lilrubydevil, ChibiSmiles, DreamCherry66 and SerenityMeoweth.

I still feel so honoured to be getting reviewed by my favourite author, lilrubydevil, she's such an amazing author, and she's reviewing me! (Jumps up and down cheering happily)

Now, ChibiSmiles, another great author with the best stories! Thank you soooo much for reviewing me also!

All you guys are the best!

Okay, next, I should tell you, I'm suffering from slight writers-block, and also I'm entering my Fourth Year of High school tomorrow, which is like kinda a big thing for me, so I might take a little longer to update- but don't worry! I've recently figured out a way to keep up with my homework and still write my stories- write the latest Chapters during French! Heh, well it's not like French will ever make a difference to my life much, (no offence to anyone who's like French or anything, lol.)

* * *

_Missing you tons- can't wait to see you again sometime big bro! Serenity xx_

Jou sighed heavily, switching his mobile phone off, (which was one of the few items his Father hadn't pawned for alcohol money yet,) "I miss ya so much Seren…" he whispered to himself, images of his beautiful little sister flashing in his mind.

Jou had woken up extra early that day, packed, washed and changed, before making a speedy exit from the crappy flat he was forced to call home, of course that meant he was over an hour early for School, but that didn't really matter to him, at least he was safe for the while.

He aimlessly wandered around the streets, most people would have a slight fear at walking around such a rough area, but when you grow up in the place, you get used to it, and anything that you see or hear- you learn to ignore.

He was unsure where to go for the while, he still had an hour before the School actually opened, and he knew all his friends would be fast asleep, plus he didn't want to be a burden to them either, so what would he do?

He at least knew that there was no chance whatsoever of him returning home- not with his Father there, hopefully his Father would be in the middle of a hang-over right now, so he wouldn't really notice the lack of his son's presence in the house.

Jou paused, glancing around the area, _Where should I go?_

Suddenly, he grinned in his typical cocky-yet-humorous way, realising the perfect place to stay for the while, "The Park!" he cheered, it was perfectly safe there considering it was on the borderline between the two sides of Domino, plus no one hardly ever went there in the morning, so he would be left in peace if he were to stay there for the hour.

So, following his decision he gradually made his way towards the Park, although as he walked it felt like he was being weighed down on one side, which didn't help considering when he had returned home last night, his Father happened to have a few of his 'friends' over, and painfully kicked him in the leg as punishment for bothering them, leaving the golden haired boy with a slight limp.

He stopped, shaking his head, he was starting to get a little dizzy and seemed to be losing his balance also, he knew why he was experiencing this- it was due to the loss of sleep, but he forced himself on, ignoring the warnings his body was sending out to him.

When he eventually reached the park, he choose to sit on the same bench he had last night, although when he spotted the bench, his eyes widened in shock and disgust.

The bench was covered in drops of blood, mainly on the left side Jou noted, he frowned, sitting down beside the blood before realising it had been his blood from the night before, "Dammit…" he cursed.

He decided to ignore the blood, taking time to think over the more important things in his life at the moment.

_What do I do…? I can't keep leaving early, hiding away and hoping that Dad will never find me… One of these days he's gonna find me again, and he's gonna hit me even worse than before… Not that I'm not had worse before, but… I just… I don't want to have to hide all the blood, cuts, bruises and scars… I don't want to have them in the first place… I just want a normal life, why did Mom have to leave? Everything was so perfect and great before she took Serenity away from me… But then she ruined everything… Everything…_

He held his head in his hands, continuing to run over all the hurtful thoughts in his mind, "Well, at least I'll get ta see all ma friends at School in a while…" he paused, blushing slightly, "And Seto…"

* * *

Seto groaned irritably, he had been called out early to an apparent 'emergency', but when he reached the problem, he had then been told it was all sorted and fine, of course this made Seto furious, so in his anger he fired a couple of employees, ordered around the rest, before growling as he made his way up to his office. 

"Useless… Pathetic… Talk about mutts… Better doing it myself…" he muttered as he entered his office, he groaned, taking a seat on his plush leather chair before massaging the bridge of his nose.

He switched his Computer on, but as he waited for it to boot, memories from the previous night started emerging in the brunet's mind, _Why did the mutt have so many bruises on him? How did he get them?_

He frowned, his eyes concentrating on his paper-covered desk for a moment, before glancing back at the Computer- he had made his decision, he would ask the mutt about it, simple as that, sure it might take a lot of 'persuasion' to get the blonde to talk back to him, but Kaiba was ready for it, he had recently thought up of a few new insults to shoot back at the other boy.

He smirked, silently praising himself for his latest quips, "The mutt better be ready…"

* * *

Apologises for the shortness of the Chapter, and lack of anything interesting happening in it, but like I said earlier, I've got slight writers-block, which doesn't help any. 

Please read and review, thank you very much!


	5. Punishment Physically and Mentally

Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?

First I suppose I better tell you all what took me so long:-

Well, I went into Fourth Year a couple of weeks back and so far it's turned out to be schoolwork and homework hell, thus giving me NO TIME whatsoever so update my beloved fanfiction! THEN because one my stories had a song not belonging to me in it, it was taken off and I was prohibited from updating my stories for quite a while, and then finally I was off ill with a virus going around my school.

Now- I'm back! The Summer Holidayshave started and it's my birthday on Tuesday!I'm so excited!

Warnings- The only warning is that I used one strong swear word in here- just thought I better mention it.

Reply to the Reviewers: -

ChibiSmiles- Thanks for reviewing all my stories and being such a loyal reviewer, ya fishstick! hehe! Can't wait until you update your stories too! Here's Chapter 5!

SerenityMeowth- How can Jou keep escaping his father? Keep reading to find out...

DreamCherry66- Thank you! But i'm afraid to say, i do still have writers-block on this story, thankfully due to the holidays i think it's slowly going away! (phew)

sweetchica55- Hehe, thanks for reviewing my stories!

KiwiRose- Yup i did get your e-mail and i wanna thank you for the lovely review! Thanks!

Princess of Kamui- Well you can be sure Kaiba's gonna do something about it! But just what? You'll have to keep reading to find out!

DarkShadowsprite- Okay, i'm not entirely sure why i switch from English to Japanese names but i kinda do, i guess sometimes the dub names sound a little non-authentic, so by calling them by their Japanese names it makes it better. But sometimes their dub names can be cool for nicknames and stuff, to be honest i'm not really sure- hope it doesn't bug ya?

lilrubydevil- No worries about being lazy and tired, now thanks to the holidays, i'll be like that everyday!

* * *

Jounouchi entered the classroom, blushing as he instantly recognised the brunette boy in the seat next to his, he weakly limped up to the back of the classroom, thankful that all the other students were too busy chatting to notice his painful limp or any other injuries they might be able to notice while he was standing up, well everyone but Seto Kaiba. 

He timidly took his seat, praying that Kaiba wouldn't say anything after noticing the blonde's odd walk, he anxiously glanced to the side, his eyes meeting with that of Seto's.

His eyes were intense, suddenly they just looked so deep, the swirling pools of icy-cold sapphire, which Jou felt, he was drowning in as he gazed into them.

Fear boiled up inside of the poverty-stricken blonde, he was terrified, what if Kaiba found out about his injuries? What if he asked him about it? What if he found out his father was abusing him? What if he told social services?

Kaiba blinked a couple of times before removing his curious glare and glancing down at his schoolwork.

Jounouchi inwardly sighed in relief, _It looks like he didn't notice anything, or if he did, he didn't care…_

Although, Kaiba _did_ notice, and was currently trying to remember if the puppy had a limp the previous night or not, _I swear I didn't see him limping last night, which means… He must have gotten it either this morning, or after I saw him last night… Where is he getting all these injuries? Who is doing this to him…?_

The boy genius was pulled out of his thoughts as a slightly exhausted, weak and tired Jounouchi collapsed onto his desk, his face hidden away in his folded arms, for Jou, it was the best way of escaping the world, and class still had another ten minutes before it began, so that gave him ten minutes of complete and utter peace.

Before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep, and that was when the nightmare began, or it wasn't so much as a nightmare as a memory.

"You stupid runt! Why was **I** the one to be stuck with you? You good for nothing **MUTT**!"

Those words stung badly, there was only one person Jou allowed to refer to him as a dog, and that was Seto, of course he'd never let Seto know that- no way, he'd continue with his little act, pretending like he hated being called a mutt or a puppy, but in all honesty he loved it, he thought it sounded like a pet name his 'lover' had made up for him or something.

"Will you just get lost! I don't need you here! I've got more important things in my life to be dealing with, rather than a stupid worthless punk like you!"

His father kicked him in the shin, causing him to stumble and cling onto the wall for support, wincing at the searing pain running through his leg.

"I said fuck off!" The older man struck him one more time, across the face this time, as Jou yelped out in fear and pain, his hand clutching the aching and slowly bruising flesh.

He painfully stumbled out of the apartment, deciding he'd rather go back out into the pouring rain than stand another beating from his father- he'd had enough for the night…

He walked around the streets aimlessly, before turning into a dark, empty alleyway as he heavily leaned against the wall, sliding down due to his tiredness.

He pulled his knees close to his chest, shivering in the chilling teardrops of heaven, which rained down on him; each drip washing away any hope or happiness he had left in his worn-out heart, it was all getting to much for him, maybe he should just end it, end it all and rid himself of the pains…

Jou gasped, his eyes shooting wide open as he jolted awake, he was covered in a cold sweat and breathing heavily, he felt like he had just been to hell and back!

Seto frowned in concern, while the blonde had been sleeping, he had been gently moaning and whimpering like he was in pain, or being hurt- but Seto knew never to wake someone while they were in the middle of a nightmare and decided to wait until Jou eventually woke himself- which turned out to be an extremely hard job; wincing every time he heard the puppy whimper or call out for help, thankfully Seto was the only one in the class that could hear Jou's soft cries.

Jou bit his lip, frowning as he tightly shut his eyes and clutched his head in his hands, he couldn't take much more of this. He couldn't even escape his father in his dreams; he was cursed to endure the pain for all eternity.

"Puppy- I was needing to talk to you about something…" Kaiba drifted off, his eyes avoiding contact with that of the boy beside him as he thought over the best wording to be used in his question.

Jou sighed heavily, weakly glancing to the sapphire-eyed boy beside him, "What 'sup Kaiba? I'm really not in da mood for a fight or nothing…"

"No, it's not that, I-"

Suddenly the CEO was cut off as the Teacher entered the classroom, an evil frown emanate (wrong or right word?) on her face as she glowered at the class, "Okay class, pop quiz!" she said in a low and dark tone.

Jou sighed, opening his jotter and pulling his pencil out, while Seto simply growled, _I swear that bitch is from the under world, no doubt about it… Guess I'll have to ask Jou about it later then…_ he sighed before proceeding with the test.

* * *

Okay, I still have the slightest bit of writers-block and am unsure of how to continue from here, anyone wanna help me out abit? Heh, it would be real nice if people could give me a little hand, thanks! 

Please read and review!


	6. Is this the only Answer?

Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?

Okay, well since it's the holidays now, I should be able to update A LOT more often now, hence why I have updated as soon as I have currently.

Warnings: This Chapter has some scary stuff at the end, like gore I guess, but it's definitely not for the light hearted- so please take this warning to heart.

ChibiSmiles- Here you go you fishstick! Chapter 6 is up and running!

DreamCherry66- Thank you for the ideas! You rock! (hugs)

DarkShadowsprite- Thank you for your suggestion and i'll keep the kissing thing in mind!

SerenityMeowth- A jotter is a book you do you school work in.

FireieGurl- Thanks for reviewing!

Credit goes to DreamCherry66 for this Chapter!

* * *

Seto sighed heavily as the ringing of his cell phone became louder with each passing second, "Can't ever get a break… Useless employees… Being fired might shut them up…" were some of the odd little comments he mumbled under his breath, "Kaiba here, what is it?" he demanded angrily, and people wondered why he was so thin and pale, he never got a chance to eat anything! 

"I'm sorry sir, but I thought I better tell you that Kaiba Corp's sales have increased by two points," a voice nervously responded on the other side of the line.

"Right okay, keep it that way," Kaiba grumbled before abruptly ending the call and continuing with his lunch.

All he had for his lunch was a box of cold pasta and a apple, but lunchtime always seemed like too much of a chore for the young CEO, he had much more important things to be seeing to, rather than eating, but of course he'd never hear the end of it if Mokuba were to find out he didn't eat.

He glared at the box of pasta, before pushing it aside and placing his laptop on the table, "Mokuba never needs to know…" he said to himself quietly, switching his beloved laptop on and continuing with his work for the day- there was never a shortage of work for the boy-genius.

At the next table, Jou watched the brunette attentively, "Doesn't he ever get tired or exhausted?" he wondered out loud, not completely realising he has said it aloud.

"Who never gets tired or exhausted?" Yugi blinked curiously yet innocently.

"Huh?" Jou raised an eyebrow, before realising his error of speaking aloud, he rapidly shrugged it off and gave the shorter boy an explanation, "Kaiba, the guy works all day, he never eats, or not that I have seen anyway, he just types away on that damn piece of metal; surprised his fingers haven't fallen off yet…"

"Why would _you_ care?" Tristan raised an eyebrow in perplexity; "Normally you're screaming insults at him from down the hall, now you're worrying over his health?"

At this, Jou jumped up, his eyes ablaze with furious flames, "I AM NOT WORRYING OVER HIM!"

Tristan shrank back down into his seat, nodding continuously, "…Okay, fair enough man…" he whimpered pathetically.

Suddenly, everything started spinning for the young blonde, as his eyesight grew blurry and his balance was quickly lost. He tilted over, falling down instantly and landing painfully against the ground, but gritting his teeth in order to hold back the scream of pain.

"Joey!" Tea called out in worry, jumping out of her seat and running over to the fallen blonde; a concerned Yugi and a confused Tristan quickly followed after her.

"Hey buddy, you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wind ya up?" Tristan questioned worriedly, lifting Jou's head up slightly in an attempt to make him more comfortable after his dramatic fall.

"I-It's okay Trist, it wasn't you… I'm just a lil'… tired…" Jou replied weakly, this definitely wasn't good; he had gotten so tired he could barely stand anymore!

"I'll get the Matron, she can take you home so you can get some rest," Tea suggested.

Jou's eyes shot wide open; he shook his head, "NO! No, I'm fine, honestly, don't worry about me guys!" he joked about, weakly pulling himself up, he was trying to make himself look like he was fine but the stumbling as he stood didn't help much, "Like I said, I'm fine, I just need a little more sleep, and I'll get that in class, kay?"

"Okay, if you say so Jou," Yugi sighed, sitting back down and finishing off his lunch.

Tea remained suspicious but also continued with her food, leaving a very alert and concerned Tristan, he had to find out what was wrong with his buddy, lately he had been acting so strange…

Seto frowned, this had gotten out of hand, he needed to talk to Jounouchi now and find out what was happening, but as he was about to stand up and walk over to the other table, Jou got up, telling his friends he was off to the bathroom for a few moments.

* * *

Jou proceeded along the corridors and hallways before finally reaching one of the boys' toilets; he peeked in noticing there were no other boys in the room before locking the door after him. 

He stumbled over to the sinks where he threw his hands down, heavily leaning all his weight down onto the sinks for a little more support as he stood, he winced, the pain in his side had gotten worse after he had fallen.

He lifted his shirt up, frowning at the darker purple bruise; the fall had just made it worse than it had been before…

He stepped back, leaning against the wall before sliding down it and pulling his knees close to his chest, flashbacks entering his mind of the previous day when his father had chucked him out and he had been forced to sleep in a alleyway that night.

A silvery tear ran down his cheek, _I can't take this anymore… It's all too much… The pain, the nightmares, the fear… I just want it all to end… I just want to feel safe and happy again… But the way it's going, I don't think I'll ever feel happiness in my life ever again…_

He reached into his back pocket pulling out a shining silver blade, he gazed at it in wonder, his eyes sparkling in awe, _Maybe this is the answer…? Maybe if I do this then I'll be safe and happy again…?_

A second tear ran down his delicate and pale face, "This is the only answer…" he whispered to himself, before slashing the blade across his bare wrist and watching curiously as the thick red liquid poured out of it in a fountain-like action.

He moved to do the second wrist as the tears freely ran down his face now, _This is it, this is the end… I'm really gonna die… _

Suddenly, the door was smashed off of its hinges as Seto Kaiba burst into the room, he stopped in his tracks as his eyes widened in horror at the sight before him, "Jounouchi!" he called out in fear and worry.

He kneeled down beside the boy, ripping the penknife out of the blonde's hand and throwing it to the other side of the room, he pulled his mobile phone out, speedily dialling in the emergency phone number, "I need an ambulance, NOW! Send it to Domino High School! I have a boy here who's attempted suicide by cutting his wrist, and he's losing a lot of blood!"

He pulled out a tissue (let's just say it's a very big and thick tissue, kay?) and wrapped it around Jou's wrist carefully yet quickly, "Jou, come on, stay with me…"

Jou's eyesight went blurry for the second time that day, he frowned at the misty figure beside him, "Angel…" was all he said before completely fainting and blacking out…

* * *

Have I moved this along to quickly? Should I maybe have moved a little slower and taken my time on it? Please review and tell me! 

Oh I should add- my writer's block is now gone thanks to DreamCherry66 as she gave me some excellent ideas for the story! All ideas that people suggested were excellent to be completely honest!

One more thing... It's my birthday, yay! I'll tell you all what i got in my next update!


	7. An Angel's Call

Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?

I just wanna say- this Chapter is best read while listening to 'Everytime' by Britney Spears in my opinion, maybe not, but I think the song's quite fitting for it.

Warnings- Abuse mentioned, one swear- nothing too strong.

Happy Birthday to both Dark Devotions and miecamiu! Thanks for reviewing both of you also!

Thank you wickedomen1 and FireieGurl for reviewing also!

lilrubydevil- Ooo, i hope you have a great birthday! And yeah, being lazy is the greatest, hehe!

Serenity Meowth- Hehe, Kaiba likes to glare at a lot of things, huh? And yeah a Matron is a School Nurse which is legally allowed to prescribe/give medication out. Hope you like this Chapter!

kiwirose- Thanks for the two great reviews! I'm glad you enjoy reading this story, hope you like this Chappy too!

DreamCherry66- Hey girl! I take it you were having a great day then with all those things happening? Once again thank you soooo much for your idea- you're wonderful idea pulled me outta writers-block, yay! Hope ya like da Chapter!

crsg- Thanks for reviewing, your work is inspiring to read and it feels great to be reviewed by someone as amazing as you!

On with the fic!

* * *

It was all around, the engulfing darkness; it seemed endless as the sheer silence covered the area- there were no indications of life, of light, or of even simple hope… 

Jou shivered as a eerie chill ran up his spine, he felt so alone here, and to be completely honest he was petrified, it seemed he was the only thing in existence in this whirlpool of darkness.

He held his arms across his chest, hugging himself in an attempt to fight off the increasing freeze that tried to steal his body heat away from him.

After a moment, his knees gave way as he felt an invisible pressure push him downwards causing him to nearly topple over- he suddenly felt so weak, it was like all the strength he had inside of him had rapidly been sucked out by some mystical force.

"W-where am I…?" he questioned into the darkness, "Am I dead? Is this what this all is? It's da afterlife… _My_ afterlife…?"

Suddenly, the sound of light feminine giggling echoed throughout the area, Jou frowned; his head shooting from side to side in search of the mysterious yet gentle laughter, "Who's dere?" he demanded, his fear bubbling inside of him as his defensive shield was raised instantly, _Wait why am I panicking so much? It sounds like a little girl giggling, so what's freaking me out…?_

A image slowly started to appear infront of the weakened blonde, it was blurred at first but after a moment, the image came out crystal clear causing Jou's eyes to fly wide open, shocked by the sight before him.

"Come on big brother! We're going to be late!"

"Serenity…" Jou gazed at the beautiful young girl, her shoulder length brown hair glistening gloriously as it always did as she gleefully skipped along with her little pink dress swaying gracefully with her movements.

"Wait up sis!" a second image suddenly emerged from the darkness- it was of a small blonde boy, he looked around eight or so.

The younger Jou stopped infront of the older, his eyebrow slightly raised in curiosity, seemingly gazing straight forward into the teenage Jou's eyes.

Jou's eyes watered slightly, looking into the younger Jou's eyes he instantly recognised the hope, curiosity and love he once carried himself, but after Serenity and his mum left, and after his Dad started to come home late at nights heavily drunk, it had all changed, and he lost all that hope and love.

He hung his head in shame as a tear slipped off his delicate cheek, _What ever happened to that life? What ever happened to that **me**? I used to be so hopeful, so ambitious… But now, I have no dreams or hopes, they all vanished along with the reality of living in a happy family…_

"What's wrong Joey?" the little Serenity queried her sibling worriedly, running over to the perplexed blonde who was still gazing straight forward at the broken Jou.

"Um, it's nothing Seren, I just t'ought I saw somethin', don't worry about it," the little boy easily shrugged it off before taking the hand of his sister and leading her off, both laughing joyfully.

Jou threw his head back, glancing over his shoulder as he watched the two children fade away into the darkness, he frowned before turning back and clutching his head, "No, don't do dis! When I cut myself I planned on going to an afterlife dat would release all da pain and agony I've been carrying for all this time! I don't want ta have ta live it all again!" he called out, his voice almost breaking as tears ushered their way down.

"You pathetic piece of _shite_! I don't **ever** want to see you again!" a voice filled with such hatred and anger slurred out.

Jou's eyes widened in fear, he removed his hands from his aching head and hugged himself once more, his body starting to shake in terror, "N-No, it can't be…" he whispered.

Another image, blurred at first, slowly came into view- it was a painful image to watch, the image of a teenage boy being beaten by his '_beloved' _father.

Blood covered the walls and floor- a scream was then heard, as the boy was kicked in the head and thrown across the hallway smashing against the wall, his clothes were torn and stained in a sickening amount of thick red blood.

The boy reached his hand up, gripping onto the wall for any support it could give him, before being kicked again… and again… and again…

Most normal people would either wince while watching each hit, or cover their eyes altogether but Jou didn't need to do either- he _was_ the one who had endured the pain all those years, he _was_ the one who was faced with the idea of being beaten nearly everyday of his life, he _was_ used to it, he _was_ that boy.

Instead of the image disappearing this time though, it remained, and a third image emerged- the image of a corrupted young boy.

It was Jou only a year or so younger, he wore the same clothing, his hair was the same but in his eyes you could tell he was a different person, a person filled with such anger, hatred, hurt, and pain.

"When I was in my gang…" Jou gaped at the image, before frowning and turning his head away in disgust, "I left that gang for a reason- we hurt people, scared people, attacked people, and we never had a decent reason for it… It was just so pathetic, and it showed just how weak we really were, just like my father was…"

Just at that moment, several images started appearing, all painful memories that he had tried to ignore and hide away in the depths of his mind for so long, but now he was being confronted by all of them, every single thing that had happened to him was now trying to make itself known- not allowing the blonde to forget at all.

He clutched his head, all the voices, the screams of pain or fear, the noise of gunshots, the noise of bones smashing, the sound of evil laughter, the sound of motorbikes- it was all too much!

"Jou come on, stay with me…"

That one voice, it somehow managed to break through all the other noises, it was soft and soothing, it instantly relaxed Jou as he lifted his head up, his eyes twinkling brightly, looking upwards towards where the gentle voice spoke.

Suddenly a beam of light entered the darkness, and a final image appeared, the image of a handsome young brunette man, his eyes were soft, caring and inviting, he reached his hand out towards Jou, a faint smile on his usually serious face, "Come with me, and let all the pain go… Forget all of that, it's in the past, and this is the present…"

Jou's eyes were wide, but after a moment they softened, he reached his hand out placing it in the CEO's, before whispering, "Angel…"

* * *

Okay, personally I think the last Chapter was a little rushed abit, so in this Chapter I slowed down abit and put it into a bit of a better perspective. I thought this Chapter turned out quite well (for once,) and for me it's my second favourite chapter I've written. (Chapter 1 is still a winner for me, lol!) 

But am I wrong? Do you think this Chapter could have been better? Maybe I could have written more? Review and please tell me!


	8. A Puppy's Denial

Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?

Once again I have a suggestion for a good song to listen to while reading this Chapter, it's 'Breaking the Habit' by Linkin Park- a very fitting song for this particular chappy.

Oh yeah and lots of ... means it's the end of his memory, kay?

* * *

Beep…. Beep… Beep… 

_What is that…?_

Beep…. Beep… Beep…

_What's going on?_

A pair of dull honey brown eyes weakly opened, wincing at the bright sunlight, which instantly entered them- after a few moments, the same almost lifeless eyes slowly glanced around the room curiously stopping as he noticed _someone_, he couldn't tell who due to his vision still being a little blurry, but the person seemed to be gazing out a window across from his bed, "W-where am I…?" he questioned weakly in an attempt to gain the attention of the mysterious figure.

"Jou, you're awake," a surprised voice remarked, as the tall figure walked over closer to the bed, taking a seat beside the injured blonde.

Jou gasped silently once his brain registered just whom it was who was in the room with him, sitting beside him with what looked like a look of concern in his sapphire eyes, "K-Kaiba…? What's going on…? What happened?" even though he wasn't intending on showing it, Seto had been able to sense the fear in Jou's shaky voice.

The CEO was unsure how to explain the day's previous events, it's not exactly a good thing hearing about how you tried to cut your wrists in order to end your life and whatever pain that seemed to be so strong that it pushed you over the edge now, is it?

Jou attempted sitting up when suddenly everything in the room went spinning, he clutched his aching head before falling backwards bouncing on his pillow, "…Woah…"

"I wouldn't try that again, you've had _a lot_ of drugs injected into you, and I'm guessing you won't be feeling your best at the current moment in time," Seto explained, smirking slightly.

Jou winced at the shots of pain in his head, frowning; he was so confused and had started to get really scared as well, "What's going on?" he demanded, but his weak voice ruined the effect of the statement.

Suddenly a wave of memories flooded his mind, his eyes widening: -

_He stepped back, leaning against the wall before sliding down it and pulling his knees close to his chest, flashbacks entering his mind of the previous day when his father had chucked him out and he had been forced to sleep in a alleyway that night._

_A silvery tear ran down his cheek_, I can't take this anymore… It's all too much… The pain, the nightmares, the fear… I just want it all to end… I just want to feel safe and happy again… But the way it's going, I don't think I'll ever feel happiness in my life ever again…

_He reached into his back pocket pulling out a shining silver blade, he gazed at it in wonder, his eyes sparkling in awe,_ Maybe this is the answer…? Maybe if I do this then I'll be safe and happy again…?

_A second tear ran down his delicate and pale face, _"This is the only answer…"_ he whispered to himself, before slashing the blade across his bare wrist and watching curiously as the thick red liquid poured out of it in a fountain-like action._

_He moved to do the second wrist as the tears freely ran down his face now_, This is it, this is the end… I'm really gonna die…

………….

Jou threw his head into his hands, his golden hair shielding his expression from the currently perplexed and worried brunette man beside him.

_That didn't happen…_ He thought to himself, denying the fact he had finally pushed himself so far as to actually try and take his own life, _I'd never do something like that… No… I wouldn't just leave Serenity all on her own…_

He cringed at the memory of a puddle of blood slowly increasing in size around him, tears streaming down his cheeks, but then… What happened next? He couldn't remember anything after that…

Jou frowned, his body tensing; _I've got to remember what happened next!_

Suddenly the image of _someone_, he couldn't tell whom, but someone was kneeling down beside him, they pulled the knife out his hand and stopped him, but why? Why would they try and stop him? Why did they care?

Jou remembered glancing at the person one last time, he couldn't put a name to the figure, but the person's face seemed to have an angelic glow filled with such hope and beauty, and their eyes, he could remember the eyes, they were a gorgeous cerulean colour filled with such mystery and darkness, but somehow he had been able to see past that and had seen the love and kindness… and then… That was all he could remember…

"Jou, do you have any problems?" a voice queried, pulling Jou out of his memories.

"W-what…?" Jou frowned, not fully understanding what Seto completely meant by that; and he also seemed totally oblivious to the fact Seto had started calling him by his real name, rather than by his usual dog nicknames.

"Is there something wrong? Is there something wrong with school, friends, maybe… at home?" Seto questioned, frowning suspiciously after spotting the blonde wince at the word 'home.'

"N-No… Nothing's wrong, everything's fine…" Jou lied, rapidly shaking it off.

Seto shook his head in disagreement, "That's not what I think…"

"Well I don't care what you think money bags! It's none of your business!" Jou cried angrily, he was feeling worse and worse the more he raised his voice, but he couldn't be weak infront of Kaiba, never!

"Jou… If you just tell me, I can help you…" Kaiba gritted his teeth, avoiding arguing with the mutt seemed like such a challenge! He could handle not getting into a conflict with business men, other duellists, he even managed to stay calm around the soul-robbing Pegasus for a short while, but when he argued with Jou, he never seemed to have any patience at all, well not that anyone could tell, on the outside Seto would always appear calm, cool and unaffected by the insults.

"Maybe I don't **want** your help!" Jou yelled, his eyes rolling back into his head as everything went spinning and he once again became dizzy.

_Fine! If he doesn't want my help then it doesn't matter! It's not like I care for that stupid mutt anyway!_ Seto growled lowly before roughly jumping off his seat and walking back over to the window.

There was silence for a few moments, before Jou decided to break it with a question that he had been itching to ask since he first recognised the CEO at his bedside, "Kaiba, why exactly are you here? Where's Yug', or Trist?"

"They'll be coming soon…" was all he replied with, which seemed enough as Jou then went silent again- Seto smirked; he was able to dodge around the whole question of why he was there with only four words, heh, not bad.

After a few minutes, Seto frowned, the puppy was awfully quiet…

He turned around, his long white Trench coat swinging around gracefully when suddenly his eyes widened slightly as he realised just why it had gotten so quiet- Jou was fast asleep, probably exhausted and still weak- he had gone through a lot lately.

Seto sighed softly, quietly walking back over to the bed and taking a seat, he had been up for the past 24 hours non-stop, he had been working all day yesterday and then today he had constantly been on watch for any changes in Jou's condition, of course there had been but Seto hadn't really helped much there had he? So much for 'trying to keep the patience calm'…

He yawned tiredly, folding his arms over his chest before lowering his head slightly, maybe he could just take a short nap?

Yugi glanced into the room timidly, blinking his cute lavender eyes curiously, he smiled at the unusual scene before him, he sighed, _If only those two could get on for once… If they were both able to see it from the other's perspective… Especially Seto, he needs to realise how hard life is for Jou, being poor and all… I just **wish** they could understand each other and respect each other for once…_

In another realm, someone had heard the small boy's pleas as a strong voice whispered out into the darkness, _And you're wish shall be my command aibou…_

Suddenly Yugi's Sennen puzzle glowed dimly, Yugi smiled softly (not noticing his puzzle's bizarre reaction,) before exiting the room and lightly shutting the door behind him, little did he know what he had left the pair too…

* * *

Okay, now first off thanks to everyone that reviewed, thats:- 

DreamCherry66, KiwiRose, Dark Devotions, Iridescent Vie, crsg, Serenity Meowth, lilrubydevil, DarkShadowsprite, mandapandabug and Forest-Sprite-Saria

Yay! I got over 50 reviews! I'm real happy now, thanks for reviewing you guys, you all rock!

Okay, now a few of you were a little confused about the previous Chapter, heh, after reading it, so was i a little, lol. Basically the previous Chapter was all about what Jou saw while he was unconcious at the hospital (but he doesn't know this yet, does he?) and he gets flashbacks from his past and then he hears the most recent memory he has- but instead his mind makes it into more of a happier and more hopeful thing for him, (that's why Seto reaches his hand out and says all the goobly-ti-goop) so does that clear things up for you guys? I do hope so! I wouldn't want confused readers/reviewers now, would i?

Please read and review, thank you!


	9. Twisted Existence

Disclaimer- I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, a'rite?

Here it is! Finally! Yes! Basically I e-mailed all my reviewers who have e-mails to tell them I would be unable to review for two-three weeks as for two of those weeks I was on holiday, and for the past week I've been at school and at work, and I've been to busy to update! So I made it my duty to update this weekend!

Responses to the Reviewers are at the end of the Chapter, okay?

* * *

Flashes of chocolate brown hair, gracefully swaying in the light breeze which had seemed to suddenly pick up rather rapidly, sparkling orbs which when looked deep into you could gaze into the owner's soul, pale velvety skin- so soft to touch and caress, large pure white feathery wings used to shield the owner's body from the increasing wind- an angelic glow outlining the man's body… 

"Angel… Will you help me? Angel?" a soft voice curiously questioned, the words being carried away on the wind and seemingly lost from the Angel's ears, "Angel…Please?"

Cerulean met Cameral, a connection being formed, "…Jou…"

"Angel, please take me with you, please save me…" the blonde weakly raised his hand up, his eyes pleading and scared, yet a certain confidence gleamed in them as the teenage boy called out to the Guardian of Heaven.

Gradually, the Angel moved his hand out, reaching out to meet with that of Jou's…

Suddenly crimson covered the boy's vision, he yelped in fear before a large blow to his right side was given and he felt himself being thrown back, crying out the name of his attacker, "Father! Please stop! Dad!"

He opened his eyes, petrified to the spot where he lay in a crumpled heap as he gazed up at his drunken father, whose sadistic smirk scared the blonde to no end, "Nobody's gonna save ya boy… You're all on your own… But you did bring this on yourself, just remember that okay? All this pain is your own fault, no one else's…" the elder Jounouchi lectured, knowing that by using these words for the amount of years he had done he had managed to brainwash his own son into believing he deserved to be abused and that it was his own fault, not his Father's.

A row of kicks and punches were then followed after the man's speech, he had never liked the word 'abuse' to be used when he hit his son, no, he much preferred to call it 'teaching the boy a lesson' as that _was_ what he was doing, he was teaching the boy to fear him and to realise he was only considered a piece of shit in this vast world filled with so many different people. Jou needed to know he could make no difference in the world, he was born and raised in the slums, a place filled with drunks, junkies and rebels, no one cared for those people and never would- so Mr. Jounouchi took it upon himself to teach his son this painful fact.

The 'lessons' also proved to be a useful way to vent all his frustration and anger also, sure when he first started hitting his son it had hurt him also, hearing the screams of pain and the loud cries as a bone snapped or twisted, but over the years he had grown accustomed to it, and was then able to easily block them out.

Jou's honey-coloured eyes glazed over with fear and hurt, watching his own Father beat him roughly, enjoying every moment of it as well, was this his life? A life with no meaning and no point? Was there any reason really going on like this at all…?

* * *

A eerie chill instantly shot up the tall man's spine causing him to subconsciously grow cautious of his surroundings, the darkness was frightening and it seemed to carry on far into the distance; narrowing his eyes he searched around in hope of catching a small glimpse of something which could help him to determine where exactly he was and what was going on. 

Fear had already claimed the brunette's soul, but he wasn't going to give in any time soon, he was a logical man, he had been brought up to being taught that everything had to be logical, if it wasn't logical, then it wasn't real. That was the basis to Seto's disbelief of the Sennen magic that Yugi, Marik and Bakura all claimed to control and carry. He had even viewed use of this mysterious magic with his own eyes, but it had played with his mind, there was no logic behind it, yet it seemed to be real- one thing Seto hated more than illogic was confusion, he never liked to be confused and he would never admit to being confused either. Confusion meant hesitation, and hesitation meant a gap of weakness. And being weak was never an option to the multi-billionaire CEO of Kaiba Corp.

He jumped in surprise when the sound of a single drip falling and splashing against some form of surface echoed throughout the darkness, jolting around with his Battle city Trench coat roughly swinging behind him he sprinted towards the sound, not wanting to lose his own chance of figuring out just where he was.

As he ran on, something seemed to emerge in the distance, a light of some form; he forced himself on, his legs aching with his continuous movement, but he refused to give up!

His eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he neared the light source, his running slowly becoming a jog then a quick walk as he gaped at the image before him; the image of a young blonde boy lying in his own puddle of blood, bruises and cuts marking his body all over.

An older man violently connected his foot with the boy's skull, sending the lifeless body backwards- the boy was definitely unconscious and Seto wasn't sure if the person was even breathing anymore!

He gritted his teeth together, glaring dangerously at the attacker before lunging straight at him, hoping to knock the man down so he could start beating into him.

But shockingly Seto landed on the ground on the opposite side of the man, he frowned thinking the man had dodged his attack but when he looked up the man hadn't moved an _inch_ away from his current position, his sadistic expression remaining.

Seto adroitly jumped to his feet, charging straight forwards with his fist preparing to make contact with the other man's jaw, but once again he ended tripping over, scuffing against the invisible ground beneath him.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, trying to work out the logic from the scene before him, he calmly got up and walked over to the man, reaching out to touch his shoulder when he gasped loudly as his hand fell right through the man then went missing inside his body.

"A hologram?" Seto wondered out loud.

The 'hologram' spat on the ground beside the boy, "That's your lesson for the day Katsuya… Make sure you learn from it…" he spun around before disappearing, becoming apart of the darkness himself.

Seto frowned, this was just plain bizarre, "Wait! Did he just say Katsuya?" Seto realised, sending a curious glance at the unconscious boy not too far from him, "Is-is that…?" he walked over, kneeling down beside the boy as his eyes shot wide open in disbelief, "JOU!"

Seto looked over Jou a few times, he was hurt all over and his breathing seemed to be somewhat ragged and coming in quick gasps at times, the cobalt-eyed man frowned, _Just what the hell is going on here?_

* * *

Response to the Reviewers:-

Dark Devotions- Thanks and i hope you enjoyed this Chapter too!

AnimeJunky- You've gotta be ma funniest reviewer(s) - you always have such amusing things to say!

DarkShadowsprite- Hehe, well Yami does have magical powers and all, so i just thought the idea of making him able to grant wishes kinda funny, lol. Sorry for the short Chapter before, was this one any better at all? Yes, it does sound cute Kaiba falling asleep like that doesn't it? Awww! Hehe!

DreamCherry66- Yes! You know the plot, but i do hope you've forgotten it, because i don't want it ruined for you! Hehe and yes, you have that part correct. (If you want to know what i'm talking about, check your review again, lol.)

xSwtLilAngel666x- Your wish _has_ become Yami's command! Hope you enjoyed the Chapter, thanks for reviewing!

KiwiRose- Thank you for your lovely compliment! And yes, Yugi's puzzle is causing chaos once again, muhahaha!

ForestSpriteSaria- (hugs) Thank you SO much! You're so sweet! I always get so giddy and hyper when people give me such blush-evoking reviews! Hehe!

Carrie- Wow, i don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that i made you cry but anyways i hope you enjoyed this Chapter.

mandapandabug- Thanks for your review! Yay! I'm your 996th review, i'm so happy! (wipes tear away)

lilrubydevil- I am loving all your stories at the moment by the way! And also, my head hurts from all the bonking you did to it...

nekogirltheanimefreak- Great name and i hope my 'new fan' hasn't had her feelings hurt?

daughterofanubis- Hope you liked this Chapter!

astalder27- Muahaha, can you figure out what Yami's done to them yet? Or is it still a puzzle? Thanks for reviewing!

And to NKingy, Sarcastic-Nut, Sigma, moony-lupin-2, Hikari Riku, - Thanks for reviewing!

Bloody hell that was alot of reviews to respond to! But i'd like to say Thank you to you all for sending me so many happy reviews, and i'll be extra specially happy if we make the 100 reviews mark! Yay! I hope you liked this Chapter, and i'll try to make sure the next Chapter is out within next week, okay?

Please read and review thanks!


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